He is a slugger award winner and a two-time All-Star award winner; he may not be the biggest name in MLB yet, but he surely envisions himself in the league and with his impressive stats over the course of his career, he will soon get there. The star in question here is none other than the American professional baseball player and designated hitter, JD Martinez, who currently plays for the Boston Red Sox.
Martinez started his professional career in 2009 with the Houston Astros and also played for other MLB teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers. He is an excellent right-handed pitcher and hitter, who knows his responsibilities when it comes to hitting the ball; a skill he improved on with each pass. Learn more about him below.
JD Martinez Bio
JD Martinez was born Julio Daniel Martinez on August 21, 1987 in Miami, Florida. Of Cuban descent, he is the youngest of his parents’ six children and the only boy. Growing up, Martinez had all the attention of the house as the only son and the youngest in the family.
He started playing ball at the tender age of four; first it was basketball and then baseball. His dad always took him to watch baseball games on weekends and watching the players hit the ball really fascinated him and he made up his mind to hit the ball one day. To make sure he doesn’t get involved in the vices of the neighborhood, his father encourages him to play baseball.
He soon had a mentor, Paul Casanova, who taught and guided him on the rules of the game of baseball. Most days after school, Martinez spent the rest of his day playing baseball at Paul’s house. His mother sometimes worried about his obsession with baseball, but today that “obsession” has paid off.
At Flanagan High School, Florida Martinez played for her school’s baseball team. After graduating from high school in 2006, he was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, but declined the offer and went to Nova Southwestern University , where he played for the Sharks, during his time with the Sharks. During his college career, he won the All-Sunshine State Conference baseball player title twice.
Professional career
JD Martinez began his professional career with the Greenville Astros of the Appalachian League at the rookie level after being selected by the Houston Astro in the 20th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, becoming the first player to be selected in the MLB of Nova Southwestern University. That season he batted .403 in the Appalachian league before being promoted to the New York–Penn A-Short Class Tri-City ValleyCats of the season.
The following season (2010), he started with the Lexington Legends of the South Atlantic League Class A (SAL) where he recorded a base percentage of (.433), a slugging percentage of (.598) and a batting value (.362). Prior to mid-season, he was promoted to Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League Class AA. At the end of the season, he was named the Houston Astros Minor League Player of the Year, as well as the South Atlantic League Most Valuable Player.
He remained with the Astros until the end of the 2013 season, in March 2014 JD Martinez signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. After playing seventeen games with the Toledo Mud Hens Triple-A compound, recording ten home runs and running in twenty-two, the Tigers bought his contract and called him up to play on the team. In June, he won the American League (AL) Player of the Week award.
He finished the season with thirty doubles, twenty-three home runs, seventy-six RBIs, .912 OPS and a 3.315 batting average. That year, Martinez was named a finalist for the Player Choice Award for AL Comeback Player of the Year.
In 2015, he signed a one-year contract with the franchise worth $3 million. That season, he was named a reserve for the American League at the All-Star Game, won his first Silver Slugger Award, runner-up for his first Gold Glove Award in right field, and ranked 2nd overall in a very successful year for the player.
He signed another deal to extend his stay to 2016. The contract was worth $18.5 million, but he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Sergio Alcántara, Jose King and Dawel Lugo in 2017.
In February 2018, he signed a five-year contract with the Boston Red Sox worth $110 million and has remained with the Red Sox until now. He finished his 2018 season with the tag team record with forty-three homers and a career-high one hundred and thirty RBIs.
Salary / Net Worth
With his last contract with the Red Sox worth $110 million, JD Martinez’s annual salary as of 2018 is $23.75 million. His net worth is currently estimated at $25 million. His personal investment is estimated at $12.5 million, and his house is estimated at $1.3 million.
Also Read About: Jesus Aguilar Height, Weight, Body Net Worth, Wife, Family
Family: parents, sisters, wife, girlfriend
JD Martinez is the only child of Julio and MayraMartinez. He has five older sisters. The MLB family is unmarried but has a stunning girlfriend named Ariana Aubert. Like JD, Aubert is originally from Miami but of Colombian ancestry. Martinez and Ariana attended the same high school, but it’s unclear if they started dating since high school.
Ariana was a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, after cheerleading she took on the role of events and entertainment coordinator for the same team. She loves travelling, skydiving and she is a fan of the popular TV series. Walking Dead.